Due to the warming of the Atlantic Ocean caused by climate change, many species of fish are beginning to shift north towards cooler waters within their temperature range. Tropical species are being found outside their normal range and into more northern waters causing an array of ecological, economic, and fishery management problems.
William Cheung, a professor at the University of East Anglia, in the Sea Around Us Project at the University of British Columbia concluded that the oceans were warming at an average of 0.19 °C (32.34 °F) per decade and at 0.23 °C (32.41 °F) per decade in tropical waters. However, the north-east Atlantic has been warming at a rate of 0.49 °C (32.88 °F) per decade. Cheung and his colleagues were able to get these estimates by using the mean temperature of catch. They used data from 990 species within 52 marine ecosystems from 1970-2006. Using fisheries data and computer models, Cheung was able to estimate the shift of species. Species are migrating north at an average rate of 40 to 45 kilometers (25 to 28 mi) per decade. The study predicted that there will be a 60% shift of species towards northern waters within the next 41 years.[1]